International

Sierra Leoneans in Sheffield have expressed concern for their families and loved-ones after mudslides killed more than 600 people with many more missing in the capital, Freetown. The country’s president, Earnest Bai Koroma, has declared a week of mourning after Monday’s heavy rain left hundreds of people homeless and fears mount over the outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhoid. There are also concerns of further mudslides in the capital as heavy rain has been forecast for the next couple of days. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!

Twenty-one year old Sheffield boxer Loua Nassa beat Sergey Tasimov of Estona to win the International Challenge belt at Pond’s Forge. Nassa now has nine wins on his record and is unbeaten in the bantomweight division. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Loua Nassa and his coach Dennis Hobson.

Nearly 900 academy football players, including from some of the world’s top clubs, are competing for the Youdan Trophy in Sheffield. The competition for young footballers was started three years ago as a way of providing up-and-coming referees with top level match experience. From just eight teams in the inaugural event it is now attracting top-flight clubs from as far as Japan and South Africa. The 40 teams taking part this year include under-14 and under-16 academy teams from Manchester United and Seattle Sounders as well as Sheffield’s two main clubs. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!

Commentator, coach and former world champion Terry Griffiths looks back on 40 years of World Snooker in Sheffield. Griffiths won the World Snooker Championship in 1979 at one of the earliest tournaments at the Crucible. He is coach to 2017 semi-finalists Barry Hawkins and Ding Junhui. Sheffield Live reporter Azz Mohammed spoke with Terry Griffiths about how the game has changed.

With snooker leading this week’s Sheffield sports news and resident snooker player Ding Junhui into the semi final, Sheffield Live! took a peek behind the scenes with MC Rob Walker. Azz Mohammed reports.

Ding Junhui held his nerve to knock out five-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the World Snooker Championship 2017 at The Crucible. In a classic quarter final match Ding edged to a 13-10 win despite a strong start from O’Sullivan including a magnificent 146 break. It is Ding’s first ranking-event win against O’Sullivan since 2006. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed was at The Crucible.

The head of World Snooker Barry Hearn has defended himself against charges of bullying aired by snooker star, Ronnie O’Sullivan. Hearn responded at a press conference in which he rejected the allegations, adding “I don’t like being called a bully”. Discussing the future of the game, he predicted Europe as well as China will have a big say in shaping its direction. Hearn also announced that the the prize fund for the World Snooker Championship is set to increase again in 2018, with the winner to receive a whopping £425,000, an increase of £50,000 on 2017. Hearn spoke to Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake.

Following the Turkish referendum granting sweeping new presidential powers, Sheffield Live! spoke to members of Sheffield’s Turkish community. The narrowly-won constitutional amendments replace the country’s parliamentary democracy with a presidential system and abolish the role of prime minister. International observers said the vote took place in a political environment where “fundamental freedoms essential to a genuinely democratic process were curtailed”. Simon Thake reports.

Sheffield-based Ding Junhui, the most successful Asian player in world snooker, spoke to Sheffield Live! on handling the pressure of top flight snooker. Ding is world number six, last year’s beaten finalist and set to face Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter finals of the World Snooker Championship 2017 at The Crucible. He has been an inspiration to the new generation of Chinese snooker players and has been training at the World Snooker Academy since moving to Sheffield in 2006. Ding spoke to Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed about setting up home in Sheffield, which football team he secretly supports and how he copes with life in the spotlight.

Four time World Snooker winner John Higgins tells Sheffield Live! how his priorities have changed over twenty years of top flight snooker. Higgins, known as the Wizard of Wishaw, remains one of the top sixteen players in the world as he competes at the World Snooker Championships 2017. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!